


Not the Time

by xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville
Genre: But she feels bad about it, F/M, Families of Choice, Friendship, I'm not a doctor, Lana's bitchy in this sorry, Love, Mentions of Abortion, Misunderstandings, Morning Sickness, Nightmares, Pregnancy, Probably Not Medically Accurate, Protective Clark Kent, Protective Lois Lane, Shovel talks, Snark and Banter, miscommunications
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:46:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: Chloe Sullivan paced the tile floor, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. Breathe, she reminded herself, biting her thumbnail. Everything's gonna be okay.
Relationships: Chloe Sullivan & Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan & Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan & Martha Kent, Chloe Sullivan/Clark Kent, Clark Kent & Lois Lane, Clark Kent & Martha Kent, Lana Lang/Lex Luthor, chloe sullivan/omc
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Song lyrics are from "It's Not the Time" by Kendall Payne, which is a great song.

It's not the time  
It's not the place  
I am afraid

Chloe Sullivan paced the tile floor, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. Breathe, she reminded herself, biting her thumbnail. Everything's gonna be okay.

She glanced at the clock, rubbing the palms of her hands against her denim-clad thighs.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she looked down at the small piece of plastic on the bathroom sink and the color drained from her face.

"No," she whispered, tears prickling at her eyes. "Shit. Oh, shit."

There had to be a mistake.

There had to be.

She couldn't really be pregnant.

She just couldn't be.


	2. Chapter 2

“Chloe, I think that one’s fine.”

She blinked, slowly tearing her gaze away from her computer screen and looking up to see Clark Kent standing behind her with a grin on his face. She forced herself to smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting my friend. Are you okay? You look kinda pale.” He sat down on the edge of her desk.

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Great, actually.” She smiled brightly though it didn’t reach her eyes. It so rarely did anymore. “I’m a little tired, though.”

Clark studied her and she studiously avoided his gaze, opting to fix her eyes on her computer screen instead. She knew he knew she was lying, but he was Clark and he didn’t push it.

“You about done for the night?” he asked instead.

“Just about.” She let out a breath and made a punctuation correction in the obituary she’d been staring at for the last half hour.

“I’ll walk you home,” he offered and she glanced at him sideways while saving the correction on her computer.

“Lana will probably be there.”

He was silent for a moment. “Okay, then I’ll just walk you there, but I won’t come up.”

“You really don’t have to--”

“You shouldn’t be walking around the city alone after dark.” His voice was quiet. “It’s not safe, Chloe.”

She knew he was thinking about how his mother had been mugged in Metropolis not all that long ago, and his concern touched her. Realizing he wasn’t going to take no for an answer, she nodded her agreement while downplaying his worry in her own mind. Clark worried about everyone. It was just part of who he was. It didn’t mean anything. “Okay. I think I’m done here.”

He smiled and stood up, watching as she turned off her computer and gathered her things. “Ready?”

Nodding, Chloe shrugged into her coat and followed him toward the door, saying goodnight to Johnson, the night security guard.

Chloe walked beside Clark in silence for a little while, casting a sideways glance at him. She knew full well that despite how slowly he walked so she could keep up with him, he was capable of moving faster than anything or anyone on the planet.

“What?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“What?”

“You were looking at me.”

She diverted her gaze. “Sometimes I wonder if…”

“If what?”

“If I’m holding you back.”

He frowned. “Chloe, what are you talking about?”

“You know, do I slow you down?” She didn’t look at him.

Clark stopped walking and placed a hand on her arm, turning to face her. “Where’s this coming from?”

She managed a small smile and tried to shrug it off with a sheepish look. “You know me. Things pop into my head and I say them…classic open mouth, insert foot scenario.”

His frown deepened. “You’re too hard on yourself.”

“You can’t deny I have an especially bad tendency to say and do really stupid things sometimes, Clark.” She tore her gaze from his and started walking once more.

“That’s not true.”

She smiled, but it was bitter. He really was clueless sometimes.

“You’re a reporter. It’s just…in your blood to try and figure things out. It’s not stupid.” He walked beside her once more. “And, no. You don’t slow me down or hold me back.”

Chloe raise an eyebrow and looked at him doubtfully.

“You think I’m lying.”

She let out a breath. “I think you’re not being honest with yourself,” she said truthfully, her voice quiet.

Looking at her with confusion in his blue eyes, he shook his head. “Chloe. You’re my best friend. You keep me grounded, but you don’t hold me back.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Now what’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Chloe closed her eyes, afraid she’d burst into tears if she didn’t. She swallowed hard. “I guess I’m just stressed. You know…school, the Planet…I’m not really sleeping well.”

“Chloe, I know you,” he said softly. “You thrive under pressure.”

She started to reply when a wave of dizziness washed over her.

“Chloe!” Clark’s eyebrows furrowed and he quickly reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist as she wavered on her feet. “Hey, are you all right?”

Fighting off nausea, she kept her eyes closed, leaning against him. “Yeah. Just got really tired all of a sudden,” she murmured.

Clark only thought about it for a second before he scooped her off her feet.

“Clark--”

“Don’t argue. It’ll be faster this way.”

She rested her head against his shoulder, and gave up any attempt to protest further. She swallowed hard when she felt him press a feather-light kiss against her temple. Then she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Chloe?” Clark whispered her name. “We’re here.”

She slowly opened her eyes and realized he’d carried her up to her dorm room. She started to thank him when the door opened and Lana stood there, a surprised expression on her face. Then her eyes narrowed slightly.

“What’s going on?” she asked coolly.

“Chloe wasn’t feeling well,” Clark said curtly, making no move to put her down.

Lana’s expression instantly changed to one of concern. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Chloe forced a smile. “Yeah, just got a little dizzy. Clark, I can walk now.”

“You sure?” His eyes were concerned once more and she nodded, trying not to let it get to her. He gently set her on her feet, keeping an arm around her just in case.

“I’ll get you some water,” Lana said quickly, stepping back into the room and heading into the small bathroom they shared.

Chloe let out a breath and let Clark help her over to her bed. She slowly eased herself down onto the edge of the mattress and he sat next to her.

Lana reappeared with a glass of water and a bottle of pills. “Here, aspirin.” She looked at Chloe worriedly.

“Oh, uh…I don’t need the aspirin,” Chloe said quickly, taking the glass from her friend. “I’m just over-tired.”

“Are you sure? Maybe we should take you to the hospital.”

“No!” Her eyes widened. “No, really. I appreciate all the concern, but I’m fine. I just need some sleep.” She wasn’t sure which of them looked more unconvinced--Clark or Lana.

“All right.” Lana’s dark eyes were still filled with concern and she moved over to her desk. “I’m supposed to meet a friend in a little while, but I’m gonna cancel.”

“Lana, you really don’t have to--”

“I’m not leaving you alone, Chloe.”

“I can stay.” Clark’s voice was even.

“Clark--”

“No, you’ve done your part, Clark, I can take it from here.” Lana folded her arms across her chest and fixed her gaze upon him.

“Well, I wouldn’t want you to cancel your plans with Lex.”

“Who said I was meeting Lex?” she asked defensively.

“Aren’t you?”

“You know, Clark, that’s really none of your business anymore.” She turned to pick up the telephone.

“You should be careful around him, Lana. He’s not who he seems to be.”

She smiled bitterly. “No. Well, who is these days?”

Warily, Chloe ran a hand over her face as they bickered. “Guys.”

“What are you really angry about, Lana? You’re the one who dumped me.”

“Maybe I wouldn’t have if you weren’t always so secretive!”

“Guys!”

They both turned to look at a now-aggravated Chloe. “I appreciate that you guys are going through a rough time, but if you don’t mind, I’m not feeling that well. So would you please take this post-break-up bitch-fest elsewhere so I can sleep? Please?”

“Sorry, Chloe,” Clark said softly.

Lana looked every bit as chastised. “Me too.”

Chloe closed her eyes briefly. “Look, I don’t need anyone to stay with me. I’m a big girl. But I do appreciate the sentiment. Lana, go meet L--whoever you’re meeting. Clark, you should go home before your mom gets worried. It’s late.”

Lana’s eyes softened. “I’m staying here with you. I know you can take care of yourself, but I’ll feel better knowing you’re okay. You’re more important to me anyway.”

Chloe managed a faint smile.

Clark let out a breath and looked at her. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her forehead and stood up, heading for the door.

“Clark?”

He turned to face her again. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for bringing me back.”

He met her eyes and nodded slightly. “You’re welcome.” He glanced at Lana. “If she needs anything--”

“I’ll call you.” Her voice was quiet, but sincere.

Clark nodded once more, then headed out of their room, casting one last glance over his shoulder at his best friend. Then he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

When Chloe woke up the next morning, she felt even worse than she had the previous few mornings. She lay motionless in bed, trying to ignore the nearly overwhelming urge to throw up.

On top of the nausea, her head was pounding. Tears sprang to her eyes and she was grateful that Lana had gone to class because she’d always hated crying in front of other people.

For a long moment she held her breath, willing the tears away, but after a moment, a sob escaped her involuntarily and she pressed one hand to her face, resting the other on her stomach.

She’d passed the denial stage after the first four days of waking up and immediately rushing to the bathroom to vomit. Now she was in bargaining mood.

God, if you let this be a nightmare, I’ll never ask for another thing again.

If you let the test be wrong, I’ll join a convent and never have sex again.

She was too much of a realist to believe it would work, but it certainly didn’t stop her from trying. When the knock came on her door just after eleven, she knew it was her cousin, whom she’d promised she’d go to lunch with, but that had been before…

Chloe couldn’t even bring herself to respond, figuring Lois would assumed she’d forgotten and leave rather quickly. One thing her older cousin wasn’t was patient.

As predicted, Chloe heard her sigh and then the sound of retreating footsteps a little while later.

The tears came once more and she turned over and pressed her face into her pillow, crying herself to sleep.

* * *

Clark woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing. Groaning, he reached out and picked it up. “’lo?”

“Hey, Smallville.”

“Lois?” He closed his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Nice to talk to you too,” she replied wryly.

“It’s only--” He pried open an eye and looked at the clock. “Eleven thirty. Oh, man. I can’t believe I slept so late.”

“I’m guessing that means you haven’t heard from Chloe.”

Clark sat up in bed. “Chloe? No, not since last night. Why? What’s going on?”

“Well, we were supposed to have lunch, but she wasn’t at the dorm.”

He frowned. “Maybe she’s running late.”

“I waited for a half hour and she never showed. She didn’t even call.”

Now he was worried. “That’s not like her.”

“Exactly.”

Clark stood up and started to get dressed. “Don’t worry, Lois. I’ll find her.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

He hung up the phone and was out of the house and on his way to Metropolis in seconds.

* * *

Clark glanced around the empty dorm hallway before stepping forward and knocking on Chloe and Lana’s door. He could hear the distinct sound of someone crying and he quickly pulled the credit card from his pocket and jiggled it until the door unlocked.

He opened the door, stepping inside to see Chloe curled up on her side faced away from the door, her shoulders shaking.

“Chloe?” He closed the door and quickly headed over to where she lay.

She was asleep.

His eyebrows furrowed and his mind flashed back a few years to when she’d told him about how Lana would cry herself to sleep every night. That he understood. But he’d never of someone crying while they slept. He had no idea whether she was having a distressing dream or if something bad had happened to make her break like this in her sleep, but it was more than he could handle.

Clark gathered her into his arms as he climbed into bed behind her. “Chloe, it’s okay,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “It’s okay.”

* * *

Chloe was drowning, unable to keep her head above water. Her hands grasped desperately at thin air. She felt the water begin to choke her, the thick murkiness pouring into her lungs and burning.

And then suddenly she was pulled from the water, choking and sputtering as strong arms wrapped around her, rescuing her. “Chloe, it’s okay.” It was him. It was always him. “It’s okay.”

She woke up slowly, feeling momentarily safe as she realized the last moments of her dream hadn’t been a dream at all. She was in Clark’s arms, and he was holding her in a firm, yet incredibly gentle embrace that only Clark Kent could pull off.

He was also talking to her, very softly. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it, Chloe, I promise. I’ll help you.”

If only you could, she thought, swallowing hard. She kept her eyes shut for the time being, not wanting to let him know she was awake yet. Not wanting to face the questions she knew he would have, nor ready for the moment to end. She knew it was selfish of her, but she and Clark were rarely ever close like this and at that moment she felt both better and worse than she had in a long time. She’d learned years ago that’s what it felt like being in love with him.

She felt him press a gentle kiss against her cheek, his embrace not loosening.

“I know you’re awake,” he said softly.

Chloe bit her lower lip. “Another super power?”

He smiled despite his worry. “No. You stopped crying.”

She let out a breath, not responding.

Clark rested his head against hers. “Lois called. Said you were supposed to meet her to go to lunch but you never showed.”

“I guess I fell asleep,” she murmured. “How’d you get in?”

He held out a credit card for her to see and she smiled a bit. “I’m a quick learner.”

“I see that.”

“Well, I have a good teacher.” He smiled.

Chloe didn’t respond.

“So what’s going on?” he asked gently.

“I’m just not feeling well, Clark.” At least it wasn’t a total lie.

“If you’re feeling so bad that you’re crying in your sleep, I think it’s time to see a doctor.” His voice indicated that he knew she wasn’t being truthful, but he wasn’t condescending or judgmental about it. It wasn’t like he could give anyone a lecture on the virtue of honesty, after all.

“I’m not ready,” she whispered.

He closed his eyes. “Okay, but when you are--”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

Nodding, he made no move to release her.

Until the door opened and Lana Lang stopped, frozen in her tracks. “Well. Isn’t this cozy?”


	4. Chapter 4

“Lana.” Clark pulled away from Chloe and she tried to convince herself that it didn’t bother her.

Her eyes were dark, angry as she gazed at them but remained stonily silent.

“This isn’t what it looks like.”

She raised an eyebrow and started to reply when Chloe suddenly launched herself out of bed and raced to the bathroom. She barely made it before she collapsed in front of the toilet and threw up.

Lana and Clark looked at each other, forgetting their problems for the time being.

“Chloe?” They followed her into the bathroom and Clark grimaced as he knelt down beside her, resting a hand on her back and feeling useless.

Lana quickly grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet and dampened it with cold water, pressing it to her friend’s forehead and pulling the hair out of her face.

A few moments later, Chloe leaned back against Clark, tears in her eyes. She pressed a hand against her abdomen, trembling.

“Are you all right?” Lana asked, all traces of anger gone from her expression, now replaced by concern.

“I’ll live,” she murmured.

Clark touched her cheek gently. “You don’t have a fever.”

“Maybe it’s something I ate,” she whispered miserably, not able to look at either of her friends.

“Not necessarily. You don’t always run a fever with stomach viruses.” Lana looked at her sympathetically. “You should go back to bed, Chloe.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, rubbing a hand over her face. Her stomach lurched again and she quickly bent over the toilet once more.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Chloe sat down at her desk in the Daily Planet that night, chewing nervously on her thumbnail as she looked around the nearly empty newsroom. Her gaze darted toward the far corner office and before she could change her mind again, she rose to her feet and headed in that direction.

She rubbed her palms on her slacks then knocked on the office door.

“Come in.”

Swallowing hard, she turned the handle and lingered in the doorway, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

Jimmy Cibrian looked up from his desk and smiled briefly. “Hey, Sullivan.”

“Do you have a minute?”

“Oh, uh…well, if we can make it quick. I have a date in fifteen minutes.”

Chloe stiffened. “A date?”

“Yeah, with my fiancee.”

The breath caught in her throat. “Your fiancee?” she repeated numbly.

He smiled and picked up a picture frame from his desk, holding it out to her.

She took it from him wordlessly and stared blankly at the photo of him and a pretty brunette who vaguely resembled a slightly older Lana Lang. Story of her life. “She’s pretty,” she said flatly.

He didn’t notice her tone. “Isn’t she?”

She stood there awkwardly, holding the frame and wishing she could sink into the floor. He took the picture back from her and set it on his desk once more. “So what brings you to my office tonight?” he asked in a knowing tone.

Chloe forced a smile and shrugged, feeling vaguely ill. “Hadn’t talked to you since…”

Jimmy smiled, the same charming smile that at one point briefly had her convinced he was the one--since Clark wasn’t interested. “We had some good times together.”

She drew in a breath. “About that.”

He suddenly appeared on guard. “Look, you’re a really sweet girl. I hope you didn’t read anything into what happened between us.”  
She stared at him in disbelief.

“It’s just…if my fiancee found out…” His voice trailed off, and seeing the expression on her face, he quickly added, “Not to mention if word got around about us…I’d be fired and you probably would be too.”

His words sunk in slowly and she remained silent, wrapping her arms around herself.

Jimmy stood up, looking from her to his watch. “I really should be going. Lena’s waiting. But we should hang out sometime. I enjoy spending time with you, Chloe.” He smiled at her.

“Yeah,” she murmured, retreating from his office feeling bitter and dejected. She berated herself all the way back to her desk.

It took her the rest of her shift--three unbearably long hours, to decide what to do.

Reaching for the telephone, she knew no super powers could save her from her fate this time. But she didn’t need Super Clark right then.

Right then she needed her best friend’s shoulder to lean on.

* * *

Clark lay in bed reading a copy of False Memory by Dean Koontz when his cell phone rang. He quickly picked up the call. “Hey, Chloe.”

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?” He put his book aside.

There was a long pause.

“Chloe?”

“Not so good,” she whispered.

Dread filled him and he sat up quickly. “What is it? Are you all right?”

He could hear the tears in her voice when she answered very softly, “No.”

Alarmed, he stood up. “Are you at the Daily Planet?”

“Yeah, I--”

“I’ll be right there.”

* * *

When Clark Kent said he’d ‘be right there’ he meant it quite literally. In less than five seconds since the line had gone dead, he was standing right in front of her.

She bit down hard on her lip, looking up at him with watery eyes. Her arms were wound tightly around her stomach and she looked more lost than he’d ever seen her look before.

“Chloe?” he whispered, stepping closer to her. When her chin quivered and then dropped he didn’t hesitate before pulling her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head.

“I’m in trouble, Clark,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Swallowing hard, he held her a little tighter. “Okay. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. You’re not alone.”

“Can we go somewhere and talk? But not the dorm…I’m not ready to…Lana’s there and…” Her voice cracked.

“We could go to my house.”

“I’m not really up for a long drive, Clark,” she said wearily.

“Who said anything about driving?” He smiled and quickly scooped her off her feet.

“Clark, you don’t have to--” He set her on her feet again and she looked around the barn loft. “Do that.”

Clark grinned, looking at her with his big blue eyes and looking for all the world like he wanted her approval.

She managed a smile. “Thank you.”

“Sure.” He motioned to the sofa, but she shook her head and turned instead to look out over the fields, moving over to stand by his telescope. Uncertain, he remained a few feet behind her, waiting patiently for her to tell him what was going on.

Chloe stared up at the sky, shivering a little and a second later she felt the weight of Clark’s warm jacket rest on her shoulders. She looked at him gratefully, then bit her lower lip.

“What is it, Chloe?” he whispered, gazing at her worriedly.

She swallowed hard, looking away once more.

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“Clark, I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.

Clark’s jaw dropped open, but he quickly closed it once more. “Oh. Uh. Wow. That’s…”

“If you say great, I’m gonna hit you,” she warned, sniffling.

He swallowed hard. “Chloe, how--?”

Despite her tears, she gave him a look. “I know you’re not from around here, Clark, but I’m pretty sure you were in the same sex ed. class I was in.”

He didn’t answer, just gazed at her.

Her defenses dropped and she moved to sit on his couch, resting her head in her hands. “I’m so stupid,” she whispered.

Clark slowly moved over to sit down beside her, resting a hand on her back and rubbing it gently in an attempt to soothe her. “Chloe, who’s the father?” he asked softly.

She let out a breath. “His name’s…Jimmy. He works at the Planet. We met a couple years ago when I first interned there. A couple weeks ago, we went to a party, and…one thing lead to another.”

He couldn’t help but tense. “Wait, he works at the Planet? How old is this guy?”

She flinched a little. “Don’t go there, Clark,” she whispered.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked seriously.

Chloe stood up, shaking her head and looking utterly drained. “Not physically.” She tucked some hair behind her ear and closed her eyes. “But he is…with someone else. Which, before you ask, I didn’t know until tonight.”

“Tonight?” Clark stood up.

“I went to talk to him. I was…I was going to tell him, but…he told me he had a date. With his fiancee.” Her voice was strained. “And I just couldn’t do it.”

He closed his eyes briefly. “Chloe, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s my own fault. I should’ve known better,” she said bitterly.

“Known better?” His eyebrows furrowed.

“Than to think a guy would actually choose me.”

“Chloe,” he whispered, reaching out to touch her shoulder once more.

She flinched and moved away, closer to the open window. “I don’t think I can do this, Clark.”

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “We’ll figure it out,” he told her. “Together.”

Chloe leaned her head against the frame of the barn, staring out at the stars. “I don’t think even your superpowers can help me this time,” she whispered.

He moved so he was standing behind her and when he touched her shoulder this time, she didn’t pull away.

Tears glimmered in her eyes, and her voice was thick when she spoke again. “I’m not sure I want this baby.”


	5. Chapter 5

Clark sat still in the chair beside his bed, watching her sleep. She shifted positions restlessly, her forehead wrinkling and signaling to him that her troubles had followed her into slumber. Even in her unconscious state, she was plagued by whispers of fear and indecision.

Letting out a breath, he thought about what a bad year it was shaping up to be. First his father, then the breakup with Lana, and now this situation with Chloe. One bad thing after another with no end in sight.

He had been unable to stop his father’s death, and unable to hold onto Lana. But maybe…just maybe he could help Chloe. Maybe this whole ordeal didn’t have to be a disaster or a nightmare.

He just hoped he could convince her of that.

* * *

Martha Kent sat at the kitchen table staring at the bills in front of her and sighing softly. She quickly tucked them into a book as she heard Clark coming down the stairs. “You’re up early.” She rose to her feet.

“I need to talk to you.” His voice was soft, but serious and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Clark, why are you whispering?”

“Chloe’s sleeping.”

“Chloe?” she repeated. “Chloe’s here?”

“That’s what I need to talk to you about.” He leaned against the counter. “I brought her here last night. You were already asleep.”

Looking worried, Martha glanced toward the stairs. “Is she okay? What happened?”

“You should probably sit down.”

“Clark?” Martha looked at him with questioning eyes.

He let out a breath and looked at the floor. “Chloe called me from the Daily Planet last night. She was upset so…I went to see her.” Pushing himself away from the counter, he moved to the fridge and pulled out a container of orange juice, pouring himself a glass to distract himself.

“Is she hurt?”

“No, but…she is in trouble,” he told her.

“What kind of trouble?”

Clark rubbed the back of his neck, not replying.

“Clark?” she prompted.

“She’s pregnant,” he mumbled.

It took her a moment to realize what he’d said and then her eyes grew wide. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“She’s really freaked out, Mom.”

“I’m sure,” she murmured. She’d come to think of Chloe as the daughter she’d never had. The pretty blond who’d been in love with her son since…

She suddenly looked at him. “Clark! Is this baby--”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Is this baby yours?” she whispered.

Clark choked on the drink of OJ he’d just taken. “What? No! Of course not.”

Relieved, she let out a breath.

“Why would you think that?”

“Well, you and Chloe have been really close for the past few months and it’s not hard to see that you both have some…unresolved feelings for one another.”

He shook his head. “Chloe and I are just friends.”

“Best friends…who’ve crossed the line on more than one occasion,” Martha pointed out.

Sighing, he looked at the floor. He couldn’t deny her words because she was right. He and Chloe had been on the verge of more than friendship several times in the past few years, but one of them had always backed off at the last minute, fearing that it would ultimately end their friendship if things between them went sour.

She rested a hand on his arm. “Why don’t you take Chloe some saltines and 7Up?” she suggested.

His eyebrows furrowed once more.

“It helps with morning sickness,” she told him gently.

“Oh.” He swallowed hard. Obviously he had a lot to learn.

* * *

Chloe winced, pressing a hand against her stomach as she threw up again. A second later, she felt Clark’s hand rest on her back as he pressed a cool cloth against her forehead with his other hand.

“Sorry, Chlo,” he murmured. “Guess I didn’t make it with the crackers on time.”

After a moment, she leaned back against him for support and he held her, wiping the rag across her face. “You okay?”

She made a face. “Until the next round of nausea starts, yeah.”

He smiled a bit, but his eyes were sad. “Want to go back to bed?”

“I guess.” She slowly stood up and he helped her back to his bedroom, tucking her in and sitting down beside her, gazing at her intently. He handed her the glass of 7Up.

Chloe took a sip, feeling uncomfortable. “What?”

“What?”

“You’re staring at me.”

“Chloe, I’ve been thinking,” he began.

“That can’t be good,” she said with a trace of a smirk on her face.

Clark smiled faintly but his eyes remained serious. “If you have this baby, I can help you.”

“Clark…” She shook her head.

“Just think about it. We’re practically family anyway, in every way that counts.”

“Clark, your destiny is bigger…much bigger than this.” She motioned to herself.

“Chloe, my destiny is what I choose it to be.”

She looked down at the bedspread. “We both know that this isn’t it.” She let out a breath, trying not to let herself be affected by the thought of Clark volunteering to help her raise a child--to raise her child. If her mind went there for even one actual second, she’d be in big trouble.

“I wanna help, Chloe,” he said quietly, insistent.

“I know you do, Clark. But this isn’t what I want.”

There was a moment of silence between them.

He swallowed hard. “Sounds like you’ve made a decision.”

She couldn’t look at him and when she spoke again, her voice was barely audible. “That’s because I have.” She bit her lower lip.

“So you’re going to…”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I…have no money, no way to take care of a baby or even to pay for doctor’s visits or vitamins…I’m already over my head with student loans and trying to--” She quickly cut herself off. “I can’t have this baby, Clark. I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked.

Closing his eyes briefly, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. He didn’t like the decision she’d made, but she was his best friend.

And he wasn’t going to let her go through this alone, no matter how much she might try and push him away.


	6. Chapter 6

Chloe stared out the passenger window of Clark’s red truck as she waited for him to return from getting gas. Her nerves were wound taut like a stretched rubber band. She chewed absently on her thumbnail, watching a woman cradling a small child in her arms as she window-shopped across the street in downtown Smallville.

“You ready?” Clark climbed into the driver’s side and started the truck.

She blinked a couple of times and swallowed hard. “Yeah.” She glanced back to where the woman and baby were, but to her surprise, they were nowhere in sight. It was as if they’d vanished.

Or, she thought, resting a hand on her stomach without thinking about it, maybe they’d never really been there at all.

* * *

Clark parked his truck in front of the clinic, shutting off the engine. Feeling tense and uneasy, his hands remained gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles white. Beside him Chloe sat perfectly still, staring out the passenger window.

“We’re uh…we’re here,” he said quietly, mostly to break the silence that had fallen between them in the three hour drive to Metropolis.

She didn’t reply, her hands folded tightly together in her lap.

Clark let out a breath, unsure of what to do.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

He slowly turned his head to look at her.

“It wasn’t part of the plan.” Chloe continued to stare out the window. “Especially not now. I never really…wanted kids. Or you know, at least not until I was older. After my first Pulitzer.”

His eyes were sad as he gaze at her in silence.

“I was so young when my mother left. I guess I always thought because of that, I wouldn’t know or…be able to be a mother,” she admitted, her voice barely audible. “Or at least, you know, not a good one.”

“Chloe,” he whispered, stunned by her revelation. Moments like this with Chloe always took him by surprise, because 99% of the time she was so strong. These few rare moments of vulnerability, such as when she spoke of her mother, never failed to make him want to pull her into his arms and assure her that he was there for her, that he would protect her, always.

“And then since I found out where she’s been…I’ve been afraid that if I did have kids, I’d pass those genes along…the ones that made her sick. The ones that will probably make me the same way,” she murmured.

“You don’t know that.” He reached out and touched her hand.

There were tears in her eyes. “Do you believe everything happens for a reason?”

He was silent for a moment. “Yes,” he admitted quietly. “I do.”

Chloe drew in a deep breath and reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek, her other hand resting against her stomach. “I know you took all this time to drive me to Metropolis because you didn’t want me to have to come by myself.” She swallowed hard and turned to look at him.

Clark searched her eyes, trying to determine what it was she was asking.

“Clark, will you take me back to Smallville?” she whispered.

Relief washed over him and he squeezed her hand. “Of course I will.”

* * *

“How are you feeling, Chloe?” Martha glanced at the blond sideways as she stood at the stove fixing dinner.

She bit her lip, cutting up tomatoes for the salad. “A little tired.” She knew Clark had told his mother what was going on, and while right at first she’d been upset--her own father didn’t even know yet, nor did Lois--she realized he was trying to help. It wasn’t like she was going to be able to hide it for very long anyway.

She nodded sympathetically. “If you need to rest…”

“No, I’m good,” Chloe said quickly. “I really appreciate you letting me stay for a couple days, Mrs. Kent.”

Martha paused and wiped her hands on the dish towel, moving to Chloe’s side. “You are always, always welcome in this house, no matter what.”

Chloe looked up at her, surprised.

“To be honest, I’ve come to think of you as my daughter.”

Tears prickled at her eyes. “Mrs. Kent--”

“Shh.” Martha wrapped her arms around the young woman. “Chloe, I know you’re scared. But this will all work out the way it’s supposed to. And Clark and I are here for you--whatever you need.”

Chloe closed her eyes, resting her head against Mrs. Kent’s.

Clark stepped into the kitchen just in time to see the two most important women in his life embrace. A smile spread across his lips and he leaned against the refrigerator, unnoticed for the time being.

Maybe everything would turn out all right after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Clark watched as Chloe paced the floor of his barn loft, chewing absently on her thumbnail. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“And you know that how?” she snapped, not halting her actions, her face a little paler than it had been only minutes ago. “Are you developing powers of precognition now too?”

“You’re gonna make yourself sick, Chloe,” he said worriedly, slowly rising to his feet from where he’d been sitting on the couch.  
“They should be here by now.”

Clark started to reply when he heard footsteps down below. “Chloe?” Lois called.

Chloe’s eyes widened and she froze in place.

He quickly placed his hands on her shoulders, offering her a reassuring look. “We’re up here,” he called back.

Lois trotted up the steps to the loft. “Hey, Smallville,“ she greeted Clark. “Chloe.” She hugged her cousin, immediately noticing her tension. “Uh oh. What’s going on? On the phone you sounded upset.”

“Uh, well…I’m actually…waiting on Lana to get here, too,” she said nervously, glancing at Clark.

“This can’t be good,” Lois said, her eyebrows furrowing. “Hey, you look pale. Are you sick?”

“Sort of,” Chloe murmured, resuming her pacing of the loft floor.

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Lois folded her arms across her chest. “At all.” She looked at Clark with a raised eyebrow.

He held up his hands and shook his head, silently telling her she was barking up the wrong tree if she was looking to him for answers.

Lois watched her younger cousin pace for a few moments, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought over the last few conversations she’d had with Chloe lately, and how strangely she’d been acting. How she’d been sick a lot in the recent past. “Oh God.”

Chloe quickly turned to look at her.

“You have cancer. That’s why you’ve called us here. Oh, my God, Chloe, why didn’t you say anything before now?”

If the situation hadn’t been so serious and Chloe hadn’t looked so freaked out, Clark would have laughed at Lois’s conclusion. She had the tendency to jump to the worst possible outcome and panic over it.

“Lois, I don’t have cancer,” Chloe said quickly, shaking her head. “It’s nothing like that.”

The brunette frowned a little, studying her for a moment. “Then what? What’s going on? What, are you pregnant or something?” she asked with a short chuckle.

Chloe’s eyes widened in surprise and she stared at Lois.

Lois’s laughter died almost as soon as it had started. “Oh God. You are.” She stared back at Chloe.

Clark suddenly felt very out of place, and he scratched the back of his neck, remaining silent.

“Uh, wow. That’s…” Lois tried to finish the sentence but couldn’t come up with a word to cover her emotions. “Hey, I’m gonna be a second cousin!” She cringed almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, knowing how ditzy they’d made her sound. But to her surprise, Chloe giggled.

“This is so not how I expected this conversation to go,” she said, covering her mouth with one hand as she laughed nervously.

Lois laughed again, as well, even though she had a feeling she was almost as freaked out as her younger cousin. “I guess I should start planning a baby shower.”

“I think it’s a little soon for that.”

“How far along are you?” she asked, glancing sideways at Clark, whose eyebrows were raised.

“About six weeks,” Chloe said quietly.

“I didn’t even realize you were seeing someone,” Lois said, sounding a little hurt that Chloe hadn’t confided in her.

“I’m not…I mean…I wasn’t…not really. It just…sort of happened,” she said, grimacing.

“And you knew about this?” Lois turned her attention to Clark, glaring at him with her arms still folded across her chest. “All this time?”

“Hey,” Clark started.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Chloe said quickly, not wanting Lois to start yelling at her best friend.

Lois’s attention refocused on her cousin. She sighed softly and let her arms drop before moving to hug her once more. “I’m not sure whether to say congratulations or give you a lecture, though I don’t think you probably need the latter if I know you as well as I think I do.”

“You’re right about that.” Chloe closed her eyes, hugging her back.

After a moment, Lois pulled away. “So…are you hoping for a girl or a boy?”

“You’re pregnant?”

The barn fell silent and the three of them looked down the stairs to see Lana standing at the bottom of the steps, looking shocked and standing beside an equally surprised looking Lex Luthor.

Without thinking about it or realizing how it looked, Clark slid his arm around Chloe’s waist and pulled her closer to him protectively, glaring at Lex without saying a word.

Lana stared at him, then at Chloe, Clark‘s gesture not going unnoticed. “Oh my God.”

“Lana, it’s not what you think,” Chloe began, shaking her head and pulling away from Clark.

Lex raised his eyebrows. “Well from this angle it looks pretty bad to me.”  
Clark narrowed his eyes. “We don’t have to explain ourselves to them, Chloe.”

Her mouth dropping open, she turned to look at him in shock, and if he’d seen the look Lois shot his direction he probably would have used his superpowers to speed far away from the barn right then and there.

“You got my cousin pregnant!?” she said in disbelief.

“I don’t believe this,” Lana whispered, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I trusted you.”

“Lana--” Chloe shook her head quickly, holding up a hand.

“Take me home, Lex,” she said, her voice filled with cold contempt as she glared at Chloe.

“Of course.” Lex smirked at Clark, wrapped his arm around Lana’s shoulders and guided her out of the barn.

Chloe stood frozen in shock for several seconds, staring after the young woman whom she’d considered a sister for the past few years.

Lois, on the other hand, was anything but frozen in shock. Her blue eyes were like cold steel as she glared, all of her attention focused on Clark. “You have some serious explaining to do!”


	8. Chapter 8

Lois looked like she was about two seconds away from grabbing the nearest farm tool to take off Clark’s head. Her hands on her hips and the warning glare did little to assure him his superpowers would be enough to help him survive the wrath of Lois Lane. “What the HELL were you thinking?” Her voice was almost a growl.

Clark couldn’t help but flinch. The Sullivan-Lane women sure knew how to scare the life out of a person with a single look. Definitely a family trait, he thought. “Okay, yelling probably isn’t the best way to deal with this.”

If possible, her eyes narrowed even more and if he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought flames were about to shoot from her eyes. Poking him in the chest with one finger, every movement indicating she was seconds away from kicking his ass, Lois gritted her teeth. “So help me God, Kent, if you--”

“Lois!” Chloe quickly put herself between the two of them and Clark couldn’t help but feel safer. “Stop. It’s not Clark’s fault.”

She gave her cousin a sour look. “Right. You knocked yourself up.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Chloe wrapped her arms around herself. “Clark’s not the father.”

If Chloe had just announced that Clark was actually an alien from another planet, Lois wouldn’t have been more surprised than she was at that moment. Not to mention confused. “Wait…run that by me again? Clark’s not the father? But he just said--”

“That we didn’t have anything to explain to Lex and Lana,” she finished, a hint of weariness seeping into her voice.

“You jumped to a conclusion,” Clark said with a smirk.

Lois pinned him with another warning glare and he shut up once more. “Well I certainly wasn’t the only one who made that intuitive leap. Lex Luthor just took your ex-girlfriend out of here like they’d been shot at.”

Chloe slowly turned to look at Clark, wanting to be angry with him, but feeling unable to muster up enough energy to do so. “What was that?” she asked, shaking her head as her hazel eyes met his blue ones.

He gazed at her for a moment, then sighed a little, not fully sure of the reasons himself. “I don’t know. I just…wanted to help,” he said apologetically, hoping she wasn’t angry with him.

She rubbed the back of her neck, looking drained all of a sudden. “I’m gonna…go lie down.”

Lois looked at her worriedly. “Are you okay? Do you want us to come with you?”

She shook her head, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “No. But do me a favor.” She looked between them. “Try not to kill each other.”

Clark and Lois watched as Chloe descended the loft steps and headed toward the house.

“I can’t believe this.” Lois folded her arms across her chest again.

Clark let out a breath, listening to make sure Chloe made it all the way to the house, her footsteps crunching in the snow. When he heard the door creak, he knew she’d retreated safely. He turned to look at Lois. “It’s a lot to take in.”

She gave him a look. “Way to understate the obvious, Smallville.” This time, Lois began to pace the floor, resuming where Chloe had left off. Another family trait, he thought as it occurred to him how many things Chloe had in common with her older cousin.

Of course, Lois got on his nerves ninety-nine percent of the time, as where Chloe rarely did.

“Somehow I always thought if one of us was in this kind of trouble it would be me,” she admitted. “I have no real life, no goals, but Chloe…” Her voice trailed off.

“It’s going to put a crimp in her ace-investigative reporter status,” Clark said, sitting down on the sofa.

“No kidding.” She raked a hand through her hair. “Not to mention her classes at M.U. What’s she going to do?”

Clark rested his elbows on his knees, watching her pace.

“I don’t understand why she didn’t come to me instead of…” She shot him a look, then sighed. “You know what I mean.”

He nodded a little, not taking offense. “Maybe she didn’t want to disappoint you.”

Lois frowned. “Disappoint me?” She shook her head. “I’m not disappointed with her, just worried.” She sank own on the couch beside him. “Chloe’s more of a sister to me than Lucy ever has been.”

Clark could tell by the distant look in her eyes that she was remembering their younger years.

“With Lucy, I always had to take care of her, protect her. But Chloe could always take care of herself. Hell, sometimes she took care of me and she was the younger one.”

“Sounds like Chloe,” he murmured.

“After her mom left…she was different.”

“Different how?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Lois stood up once more, staring out the loft window. “She got kind of distant.” She rubbed her arms in an attempt to get warm. “I think it was her own way of keeping herself from getting hurt again. Because if you don’t let anyone get close, they don’t have the power to hurt you.”

Yet another thing Lois and Chloe have in common, Clark realized.

“But you two are close now,” he pointed out.

“We’re still not as close as we used to be. In fact, I think out of everyone, you’re the one who’s closest to her.” She turned to face him with a grave expression and he swallowed hard.

“So I wanna make something clear. Chloe has feelings for you. She always has,” Lois said bluntly. “And if you do anything--and I do mean anything--to break her heart or hurt her in anyway?” She stepped closer to him, her eyes narrowed and dangerous. “I will hunt you down and break every bone in your not-so-innocent farm-boy body. Got it?”

If he hadn’t understood exactly where she was coming from, Clark might have chuckled at the threat. “I got it.”

Eyeing him suspiciously, she turned and headed for the stairs.

“Lois.” He stood up.

She turned to face him once more.

“I care about Chloe. A lot. I would never do anything to hurt her intentionally.”

She gazed at him. “Sometimes you can hurt someone worse unintentionally.”

Clark watched her leave, letting her words sink in slowly.

* * *

Martha sat at the kitchen table going over the state senator documents. It only took her a moment before her motherly instincts kicked in and she saw her son’s tall frame leaning in the doorway. She pulled her glasses off. “Clark? You’re up late. What is it?”

He remained silent for a moment, then moved to sit at the table across from her, staring down at his hands.

She frowned a little, but simply waited. She knew him well enough to know he’d talk when he was ready.

“Mom…when you and Dad found me after the meteor shower…” He hesitated, not sure how to ask what he wanted--needed--to know. “Was it hard for him to think of me as his son?”

Martha was taken aback. “No. Your father loved you as soon as he saw you, the same as I did.”

He smiled a bit. “But you can love someone without them really belonging to you…right?”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she reached across the table to touch his arm. “Clark, since the day you found us, you were ours. There was never any question. We couldn’t have loved you anymore if you’d been our biological son.”

He was silent. “So neither of you ever regretted it?”

“Clark, no. Of course not.” She shook her head. “Where’s this coming from?”

He stood and started walking the length of the kitchen floor. “It’s just…I’ve been thinking…what if because of who I am, I can never have kids? I mean kids of my own?”

Martha started to reply, but he continued.

“It’s something I’ve thought about a lot. But…just because I can’t have biological kids doesn’t mean I can’t be a father. I mean, look at you and Dad.”

It suddenly dawned on her where he was going with this and her eyes widened. “Clark--”

“Mom, you were right when you said I had unresolved feelings for Chloe.” He stopped pacing and looked at her intently. “I’ve just been too afraid to pursue anything with her because I thought it’d end like things did with Lana.”

“And now you don’t?”

Clark rubbed the back of his neck. “She knows everything about me,” he said softly. “Everything. And she doesn’t look at me any differently than she did before.”

Martha suppressed a smile, nodding for him to continue.

“She accepts me for who I am--all of me.” He sat down at the table once more. “Lois told me Chloe still has those feelings for me.”

This wasn’t news to her.

“This could be my chance to have a family of my own,” he said quietly.

Martha was silent for a few seconds. “What about your destiny?”

“What if this is my destiny?” Clark looked at her. “Mom, I believe everything happens for a reason. Chloe’s pregnancy, her knowing about me, my break-up with Lana…the timing of it all. What if this is what I’m supposed to do?”

She leaned forward in her chair. “So you’re saying you want to be with Chloe and help her raise her baby as your own?” He nodded and she sighed softly. “It’s a big decision, Clark. A huge responsibility.”

“I know it is. But you and Dad raised me to make good decisions. And this one…feels right.” He looked down at the table. “Ever since I found out Chloe was pregnant, all I’ve wanted to do is be there for her and keep her safe,” he admitted.

Martha looked at him. “That’s not really any different from what you’ve always wanted for Chloe.”

“Yeah, except now…” He looked up and met her gaze. “I see myself with her…with this baby…as more than friends.” He let out a breath, and swallowed hard. “Mom, I think I’m falling in love with her.”


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe lay in Clark’s bed, staring at the ceiling as one hand rested lightly on her stomach. Letting out a breath, she closed her eyes, not hearing the footsteps approaching.

She felt the bed shift and she tensed slightly.

“Chlo? You awake?” she heard Clark whisper.

She forced a smile. “No, I’m talking in my sleep.” She opened her eyes to see him give her the famous Clark Kent 100-watt smile and she couldn’t help but smile back, this time for real.

His eyes sparkled and he gazed at her silently.

“I see you’re still all in one piece,” she said lightly.

He rolled his eyes. “The only way your cousin could actually hurt me is by annoying me to death. ‘

Chloe smirked. “You guys are like oil and water.”

“Or me and Kryptonite,” he retorted and she chuckled.

“She’s not that bad.”

He smiled a bit. “Chloe?

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been thinking.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “That’s not usually good.”

He reached out and touched her hand, and after a moment, he wove his fingers through hers.

Her heart skipped a beat and she wondered what was going through his mind. Why was he holding her hand? Why was he looking at her so intently?

“I’m really glad that…you didn’t...you know, go through with…” His voice trailed off.

She gave his hand a light squeeze and pulled it away slowly. Even after all these years a simple gesture of friendship from him still had such a powerful effect on her. It made it hard for her to think straight. Sitting up, she leaned back against the bed’s headboard, shifting her gaze to the bedspread. “I thought I could do it.” She chewed on her lower lip. “But the closer we got to Metropolis…even the thought just felt wrong.”

Clark shifted so his back was against the headboard as well, their shoulders only inches apart.

Chloe glanced at him sideways and folded her hands together. She wasn’t sure why she suddenly felt so nervous around him. It was as if the unspoken tension between them was due to some impending sense of…what? She wondered. Then it dawned on her: change. Without a doubt she suddenly realized he was about to drop some kind of bomb on her and she swallowed hard, fearing the worst. It was always the worst possible scenario.

“Chloe--”

“It’s okay, Clark,” she said quickly, rising from the bed and choking back a wave of nausea from standing up too fast.

His eyebrows furrowed. “What’s okay?”

Chloe tucked some hair behind her ear and moved to the open doors of his closet, picking up her small suitcase. “I need to get the rest of my stuff from Metropolis. I’m sure Lois will let me stay with her. My dad’s still in Europe, so…”

“Wait, you’re quitting school? What about your job at the Daily Planet?”

She managed to muster a faint, albeit bitter smile. “Even I can’t do everything. I’m not Superwoman. I just…have to make some sacrifices. I got myself into this mess, now I have to clean it up.”

“Yeah, but--”

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll go back someday.” She started placing her clothes into her suitcase.

“Chloe, stop.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “What’s going on? You’re acting really weird all of a sudden.”

She avoided his eyes. “I guess it’s finally starting to dawn on me how life-changing this is. It’s kind of overwhelming.”

He could feel her body trembling beneath his hands and he lifted a hand to her cheek. “You’re not alone, Chloe. And I don’t want you to leave.”

She was startled equally by his words and the affectionate touch. She shifted her gaze and met his eyes without really thinking about it.

Clark offered her a small, genuine smile, feeling nervous. He swallowed hard as his gaze dropped to her lips.

Chloe felt her heart skip another beat. Even though she knew better, she had the distinct impression that Clark Kent was about to kiss her. Warning bells sounded in her mind and as much as she didn’t want to, she pulled away.

Disappointed, he watched her move toward his bedroom window. Had Lois been wrong? Did Chloe really only think of him as a friend now? He felt a pang and hoped he hadn’t waited too long.

“I uh…I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said apprehensively.

She tensed. Here we go. “I think it’s a good idea, Clark.”

He paused. “You do?”

“Yeah, of course. We both know it’s what you really want.” She turned to face him, flashing him a beautiful smile that he knew was fake even if she didn’t realize he had that knowledge.

“Chloe…what are we talking about?”

“You. Going to work things out with Lana,” she stated as if it was as obvious as him being a Kansas farm boy.

“Lana?” he repeated, shaking his head.

“You know Lana Lang, love of your life? Dark hair, doe eyes, loves horses?” She arched her eyebrows.

He gave her a look. “I know who she is, but what does she have to do with anything?”

Chloe gave him a wry look. “You mean besides the fact you’re in love with her and right now she thinks I’m having your baby?”

“So?”

Her head was starting to hurt. Sometimes talking to Clark was more confusing than being inside a labyrinth. “So…you should find her and clear up the misunderstanding.”

“What if I don’t want to? What if…I’m okay with her thinking the baby’s mine?” he asked carefully, his voice quiet.

Occasionally the only thing you can do when someone says something so far out of left field that the ball has actually disappeared, is laugh.

And she did. “That’s a brilliant way to win her back, Clark.”

He didn’t smile. “What if I’m okay with everything thinking it?”

Chloe’s laughter died in her throat as she saw the expression on his face. He couldn’t really be serious. Shaking her head, she turned to look out the window, her heart thudding heavily against her chest. “You almost had me there for a minute.”

“Chloe, I’m serious.” He moved to stand behind her. “Would it be so bad? Really?”

The breath caught in her throat and she stood frozen in place. My God, he really is serious.

“Think about it,” he said softly. “We could be a family. I mean, we both know what a great team we make.”

“Okay, Clark, there’s a pretty big difference between solving the meteor freak mysteries together and raising a child together.”

“I could be a good father.”

“I don’t doubt that.” She turned to face him. “But to be honest with you, I’m not sure I’m even going to keep this baby.”

His face fell. “Oh.”

She let out a breath. “I couldn’t go through with an abortion, but…that doesn’t mean I’d be a good mother, either.”

“You’d be a great mother, Chloe,” Clark told her softly.

“Unfortunately I don’t have that same amount of confidence in my potential parental abilities.” Her voice was soft, barely audible. She turned away from him once more, tucking some hair behind her ear.

“Do you want this baby?”

Chloe was silent for a moment. “It doesn’t matter if I do or not. All that matters it that I do the right thing for this baby.”

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “You are the most selfless person I’ve ever known. You care more about other people than you do yourself. You’ve made so many sacrifices to help the people you love, no matter the personal cost. If you ask me, this baby would be incredibly lucky to have you.” He paused, swallowing hard.

Her eyes sparkled with tears.

“And so would I,” he finished in a whisper.

Chloe caught sight of his reflection in the window pane through her tears. He couldn’t really be saying what he seemed to be saying. Not after all this time. It wasn’t possible. She slowly turned to face him, not speaking.

“Chloe, I’ve been so caught up in…things I thought I wanted that I didn’t even realize who I needed the most was standing beside me the whole time.” He reached out to touch her, but she flinched involuntarily.

“Please…don’t,” she whispered, taking a step away from him.

“Chloe, I love you,” Clark whispered.

“No! No, you don’t love me!”

Her anger startled him, caught him off guard, though later when he looked back on it, he realized he should’ve seen it coming. “Wha--”

“Just shut up, please. Stop talking, Clark.” She swallowed hard, her face flushed, and her heart aching with an intensity she hadn’t allowed herself to feel for so very long. “I’m not going down this road with you again. I can’t.”

The sadness in his eyes broke her already cracked heart and the anger she’d felt dissolved. She could never stay angry with him, even when he deserved her fury.

“Let’s just…forget this happened,” she said quietly, expecting him to jump at the chance.

“I don’t want to forget it,” he said, stepping toward her.

“Well, I’m not gonna be your rebound girl, Clark,” Chloe said with resolve. “I deserve better than that.”

“I know you do, and that’s not what this is. I promise.” He gazed at her so intently that she almost believed him. Almost.

“Then what?” she asked, shaking her head. “Pity? You feel sorry for me and you’re trying to do the right thing?”

“No!” he said vehemently.

Chloe studied him for a moment. “Start explaining.”

Clark let out a breath. “Chloe, I care about you, more than I ever thought I could. It’s not the same way I felt about Lana. But it’s just as real and just as intense, if not more so. You’re the only person other than my mom that I completely trust.” He swallowed hard. “I haven’t always made the best choices involving you in the past, but I promise you from here on out, it’s gonna be different. I wanna be with you…and I wanna be this baby’s father. So what do you say?” he whispered, waiting.


	10. Chapter 10

Chloe eased her grip on the steering wheel of Lois’s red convertible as she pulled into a parking space in front of her dorm. Closing her eyes, she raked a hand through her short blond hair, leaning back in the seat.

Lois had tried to insist on driving her back to Metropolis, not wanting her to make the three hour trip alone after everything that had happened in the last few days. But Chloe had assured her that she was fine, she just needed some time alone to clear her head.

The conversation with Clark hours ago had been more than a tad emotional and confusing. If her cousin had known about that, she definitely wouldn’t have let Chloe make the drive alone. She opened her eyes and looked at herself in the rearview mirror. Her face was still paler than usual, her blue eyes cloudy as her mind drifted involuntarily back to that afternoon.

“So what do you say?” he whispered.

Chloe stared at him, not sure what to say. The idea was so appealing to her heart, it took all of the willpower she had not to throw her arms around him and tell him there wasn’t anything she wanted more than a family with him. Her mind, on the other hand, found the idea entirely preposterous. Clark didn’t love her, he never had and he never would. She wasn’t Alicia Baker. And she sure as hell wasn’t Lana Lang.

Trust didn’t equal love, and neither did friendship. How could she let herself get sucked into a relationship with someone who simply felt obligated to help her because of who he was? True, a big part of why she loved him so much was his selfless nature, his willingness to do whatever it took to help the people he cared about. There was no doubt in her mind Clark cared about her. But she wasn’t kidding when she told him she wouldn’t be his rebound girl. She wouldn’t settle for second best. A few years ago she might have, but she’d been through too much to fall that far from self-respect and give in, no matter how much she might want to.  
“No,” she whispered back, her heart aching worse than it ever had before.

His face fell, his eyes watering and for a moment she wondered if she’d done the right thing.

No, she thought. She was doing the right thing. She wouldn’t settle and she wouldn’t let him settle either. Not when she knew in his heart he would always want the dark haired beauty who was currently infatuated with a certain bald-headed billionaire. She couldn’t, wouldn’t spend her life wondering if he felt trapped by her, by this child. She wouldn’t risk her heart again.

“I’m sorry, Clark,” she murmured, not entirely sure why she was apologizing.

He didn’t answer, simply stared at the wall just above her head.

She moved to get her suitcase, quickly stuffing the rest of her clothes inside and zipping it up.

“You don’t have to go.” His voice was quiet, albeit a little flat.

“Actually, I do.” She didn’t look at him, picking up her bag. “I’ll be staying with Lois if you need anything.” Chloe hesitated a moment at the door, turning to glance at him as he stood unmoving, faced in the opposite direction where she couldn’t see his tears. “Bye, Clark.”

“You okay, Miss?”

She flinched, jolted from her mind’s instant replay by the voice of the security guard standing beside her car. “Yeah…I’m fine.” Drawing in a breath, she forced a smile and stepped out of the car, heading toward the dorm.

She barely recalled the elevator ride or the walk down the hall, though she nodded to a couple of her neighboring dorm-mates as she numbly pulled the keys from her coat pocket and started to unlock the door, only to find it was already unlocked. Frowning, she stepped inside. “Lana? Are you here?”

“Not for long.” The other girl’s voice was clipped, distant.

Chloe paused just inside the doorway, closing the door behind her. “I think we need to talk.”

“We have nothing left to talk about.” Lana was busily stuffing her suitcases with clothes from her closet.

She sighed softly, then tossed her purse onto her bed. “Look, Lana, I know you think what you heard before, but--”

Lana turned to look at Chloe. “So you’re not pregnant?” Her eyebrows were raised.

Chloe couldn’t help but feel cornered by the bluntness of the question, by the cold look in Lana‘s usually warm eyes. “Yes, I am,” she admitted. “But--”

“So how long have you and Clark been going out behind my back?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“Well, I heard you tell Lois you were about six weeks along…Clark and I haven’t been broken up for that long.”

Something occurred to her and her reporter instincts took over. “Wait…how the hell long were you in the barn before you spoke up anyway?”

“Long enough.”

“So your new hobby is eavesdropping on your friends?” Chloe demanded.

“I guess I learned from the best,” Lana retorted, glaring at her.

Her eyes darkened. “I don’t eavesdrop on you.”

Lana actually laughed.

“Contrary to popular belief, I have my own life and I don’t need to obsess over Lana Lang like the entire male population of Smallville,” Chloe snapped. “So get over yourself.”

“Get over myself?” Lana shook her head, her hands on her hips. “I’ve been a good friend to you even though most of the time you didn’t deserve it. You always wanted Clark and me to break up so you could have a shot with him. You were never really my friend and you proved it over and over again.”

“I was never…” She shook her head in disbelief. “Yeah, I’ve been such a horrible friend to you, Lana. Asking my dad if you could move in with us so you didn’t have to change schools, listening to you go on and on about Clark and how much you loved him even though you knew how I felt about him, letting you move into my dorm room so you could go to college at the last minute. God, I’m such a bad friend!”

“You don’t get it do you? Clark and I broke up because of you!”

Chloe stared at her in disbelief. “What?”

Her eyes were dark, full of anger and she took a step toward Chloe. “No matter what was going on, you’re the one he went to, not me. For whatever reason he trusts you more than he does me, and that’s why I broke up with him, Chloe. Because of you!”

Guilt washed over her momentarily, but she shoved it away. No way was she going to let Lana pin this whole thing on her. No way in hell. “It’s not my fault that Clark doesn’t trust you,” she said harshly. “But you’ve sure as hell given him plenty reason not to. You weren’t broken up two weeks and you were going out with Lex Luthor, of all people! So don’t pretend that this is my fault when you only have yourself to blame!”

“Maybe if you weren’t always around, things would have been different,” Lana said every bit as harshly, causing Chloe to flinch.

“And the truth comes out,” she said, her voice flat.

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve wanted me out of the picture from the beginning. You never wanted to be my friend. You were just keeping me close so I wouldn’t try to take Clark from you.” The sudden realization stung deeply.

“Like you could have.” Lana glared at her.

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” Chloe murmured.

“Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You know as well as I do if Clark had ever shown any interest in you, you would’ve betrayed me in a second and gone after him, Chloe. Stop acting so innocent.”

“You know what’s ironic? You never really loved Clark at all.” She shook her head. “You just wanted him because you didn’t wanna be alone. You don’t know what love is.”

“And you do?”

“Yeah. I do. Love is letting someone go so they can be happy. Letting them be happy even if it’s not with you. Even if you don’t ever get what you want, all that’s important is that the person you love does.” Chloe’s voice was quiet, serious. “It’s not making that person miserable and second-guessing them all the time. If you’d ever really loved Clark, you wouldn’t have jumped to the next available warm body time after time,” she finished harshly.

Lana’s eyes widened and her hand raised to slap Chloe’s cheek, but Chloe caught her wrist and stopped her.

“I trusted you, Lana. I thought of you like a sister and I thought you felt the same. Obviously I was wrong.” She let go of the other girl’s arm and moved to get her purse off the bed.

“You’re pretty self-righteous for someone who had sex with your ‘sister’s’ ex-boyfriend while they were still dating,” Lana snapped.

Chloe turned to face her quickly, and started to reply when a sharp pain in her abdomen made her double over, a faint cry escaping her lips as she pressed a hand to her stomach.

“Chloe?” The anger was gone from Lana’s voice in a split second and she quickly moved to the blonde’s side. “Are you okay?”

She winced, feeling ill. “Need to sit down,” she whispered and Lana quickly helped her ease herself onto the edge of her bed.

Looking worried, Lana moved to the phone. “I think I should get you to the hospital.”

Chloe didn’t argue as another sharp, stabbing pain racked her body, causing tears to form in her eyes. Oh God, what’s happening?


	11. Chapter 11

It’s not the time  
It’s not the place  
I am afraid

When Clark’s cell phone rang and he saw that it was Lana calling, he almost didn’t answer it. He stared at it for a long moment, his teeth gritted together. In a matter of weeks his relationship with her had gone from great to dissolving into…what? He wondered. It wasn’t quite nothing, but it was pretty close.

A gut instinct told him to answer and he did so with some amount of reluctance. “Hello.”

“Clark, it’s me.” It sounded like she’d been crying.

“I saw that on the caller ID. What’s wrong?” Despite his reluctance to want to speak to her after their breakup, he couldn’t help but be concerned. Something was obviously wrong.

“I’m in Metropolis, at the hospital.”

“Lana, are you okay?” he asked, feeling a bit alarmed.

“It’s not me,” she whispered. “It’s Chloe and the baby. Something’s wrong, Clark.”

He felt like someone kicked him in the gut. “I’ll be right there.” He stood and seconds later was on his way to Metropolis. Please be okay, he prayed.

* * *

Lana was too riddled with guilt and worry to think about how quickly Clark had arrived at the hospital after her phone call. Some part of her mind chalked it up to the fact he was probably already in Metropolis. After all, these days, he wasn’t generally far behind wherever Chloe was.

“How is she?” His voice was strained and she glanced at him sideways, her eyes red.

“They’ve taken her down for tests. I don’t know anything yet.”

Clark rubbed the back of his neck, beginning to pace the hallway floor.

“Where the hell is my cousin?”

He glanced down the hallway to see a worried Lois Lane standing at the front desk, her hands curled into fists. “Lois!”

“Clark!” She caught sight of him and quickly walked toward him.

“How’d you get here so fast?” he asked, shaking his head.

Not looking pleased, she glanced at Lana. “Lex’s helicopter. What the hell happened?”

They both turned to look at Lana, who shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know. We were in the dorm talking and then…she said there was pain in her stomach, so I called an ambulance.”

The look of guilt on the dark haired girl’s face went unnoticed by Clark, but not by Lois, whose eyes narrowed.

“What exactly were you talking about?”

“Does it matter?”

Lois took a step toward her. “If you said something to upset her and she’s losing her baby because of it, you’re damn right it matters.” Her anger was barely controlled.

Lana swallowed hard, dropping her gaze. “We had a fight,” she admitted in a whisper.

Clark felt someone else approaching and turned to see a doctor headed in their direction. “Are you here for Chloe Sullivan?”

“Yes,” Lois said without hesitation. “I’m her cousin.”

He nodded slightly. “And the two of you?” He looked at Lana, then at Clark.

“Clark is her boyfriend,” Lois interrupted before he could say anything and not acknowledging his surprised look. She didn’t look at Lana, but she made a vague gesture in the other girl’s direction. “That’s just her roommate. She’s not family.”

“I’m sorry, Miss, you’ll have to wait out here.” The doctor offered Lana a sympathetic look and she tried to smile, but her eyes were burning with tears.

Not giving his ex another thought, Clark quickly followed the doctor and Lois down the hall to a consultation room. “How is she?” the two of them said together as soon as the door was closed.

The doctor perched on the edge of his desk, looking serious. “Your friend’s gonna be just fine.”

“And the baby?” Lois asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

He hesitated a moment and Clark swallowed hard, feeling ill. “When your cousin arrived at the hospital, she was in premature labor.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered, her face paling.

“We gave her Magnesium sulfate to stop the labor because obviously it’s much too early for her to deliver. However, the next few days are critical. We’re gonna keep her here under observation and if she does well, we’ll send her home with an advisement of strict bed-rest and a no stress environment.”

Clark swallowed hard, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “But they’re both okay?”

“For the time being, yes. I should warn you that premature labor this early on in a pregnancy is rare and very dangerous. The chances of a premature delivery are greatly heightened, so Ms. Sullivan will have to be monitored very carefully even after her subsequent release.” The doctor looked grave.

“Can we see her?” Lois asked anxiously.

“She’s resting now, but you can see her. Visits should be brief and non-stressful,” he warned.

She nodded quickly, then glanced at Clark, who looked every bit as worried as she did.

“You should go first,” he told her softly, not quite meeting her eyes. He couldn’t help but think the conversation he’d had with Chloe earlier had contributed to this every bit as much as whatever argument she may have had with Lana.

“Okay. I’ll come get you when I’m done.” She patted his arm and headed down the hall following the doctor.


	12. Chapter 12

Lois stood beside her cousin’s bed, gazing at her silently as she slept. Chloe’s face was paler than usual, and one hand was resting on her stomach. A wave of protectiveness washed over Lois as she thought about everything that she and Chloe had been through together over the years. There wasn’t a person in their family who understood her as well as her younger cousin, the girl she considered to be her real sister.

“Don’t start crying on me,” Chloe murmured and Lois looked at her in surprise.

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“Like anyone could actually sleep in a hospital?” Her words were faint, but light.

Lois pulled a chair up right beside her bed and sat down, touching her hand. “How you feeling?”

Chloe slowly opened her eyes, managing a faint smile. “Well, I’m ready to get the hell out of here.”

She smiled wryly. “Well, unfortunately I’m pretty sure you’re gonna be here at least overnight.”

Sighing, she closed her eyes once more. “Is Lana here?”

Lois’s eyes darkened. “She’s in the waiting room, unless she left.”

“She didn’t leave.” Chloe bit her lip. “Is she okay?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?”

“We had a fight,” she admitted, shifting uncomfortably in the bed.

“She told us.”

“Us?”

“Me and Clark.”

“Clark’s here?”

“That surprises you?”

Chloe let out a breath, opening her eyes again. “We sort of…had an argument.”

“Two fights in one day?” Lois said, raising an eyebrow. “What’d you fight with Smallville about?”

Chloe was silent for a long moment. “He wants to help me raise the baby.”

There was a moment of silence.

“He said that?”

“He said he wanted us to be a family.” Her smile was slightly bitter.

Lois sighed, leaning her elbows on the bed. “And you said no.”

“Of course I said no. What was I supposed to say?” Chloe tried to sit up and Lois quickly rearranged the pillows behind her cousin to support her. “Clark’s not in love with me. I’m not gonna…be in a relationship with someone who’s only there out of pity.”

“I’m not sure it’s just out of pity.”

She looked at Lois in surprise, but remained silent.

“Look, you know I’ve never been Clark Kent’s biggest fan, but…I think he does care about you.”

“I know he cares about me, Lois. But caring about someone doesn’t equal loving them.”

She sat back in the chair, looking perplexed. “I don’t know why he’d do this after I threatened to kick his ass if he ever hurt you again.”

Chloe couldn’t help but chuckle. “You threatened to kick his ass?”

Lois smirked. “He knows I would.”

She bit down hard on her lip to keep herself from laughing at the thought of her older cousin trying to whoop up on Clark. “Clark’s a good guy, Lois,” she said softly. “He always tries to do the right thing. And right now he thinks that’s taking care of me and this child. But it’s not his baby and it’s not his responsibility and I’m not gonna be the one to tie him down and hold him back from whatever his real destiny is.”

“You make it sound like he’s destined to stop world hunger.”

A faint, sad smile touched her lips. “Maybe he is.”

“You’ve wanted this for years, Chloe. Ever since you met the guy. I know what you’re saying, but…this could finally be your chance. Can you live with the what if’s if you say no?” Lois asked softly.

“I’ve already said no,” Chloe told her just as softly. Tears were sparkling in her eyes but she didn’t allow them to fall.

She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, swallowing hard and trying not to cry herself. Lois Lane had never been a big crier but the sight of her cousin in any kind of pain had always been her one true weakness. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Actually, there is.” She squeezed Lois’s hand in return. “Send Lana in?”

* * *

Lana hesitated in the doorway of Chloe’s hospital room, swallowing hard. Her face was almost as pale as Chloe’s and she remained completely still and silent, but her roommate noticed her anyway.

“Come in, Lana.”

Biting her lower lip, she slowly stepped into the room, approaching the bed, but not getting as close as Lois had.

The stricken look on the brunette’s face didn’t go unnoticed and Chloe reached her hand out.

After a second, Lana took it, tears flooding her eyes. “Chloe, I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I never meant for this to happen.”

“I know,” Chloe said quietly, giving her hand a squeeze. “It’s not your fault.”

“How can you say that? We were fighting and--”

“Sit down.”

Lana slowly sat down in the chair by Chloe’s bed, a tear sliding down her cheek.

“I’m fine, okay? The baby’s fine.”

“This would have never happened if I hadn’t yelled at you.”

“Oh, please. People yell at me all the time. I don’t want you to blame yourself.”

Lana swallowed hard, looking down at the floor. “The things I said to you…I didn’t mean them.”

“Yes, you did.”

She looked up, startled at Chloe’s words.

“Don’t try to take them back. We both said things that have been building for awhile.” Chloe met her gaze. “Maybe not all of it was true, but it’s enough that we thought they were.”

“I’m not sure what you…”

“This baby isn’t Clark’s.”

Her eyes widened a little.

“I would never have done that to you,” she said quietly, sincere. She was silent for a moment. “The truth is…I do think of you like a sister. I have for a long time. But if I’m honest with myself…I guess some part of me has always been bitter that you were so quick to go out with Clark even though you knew how I felt about him.”  
Lana swallowed hard, feeling guilty. “I guess I always wanted to believe that you were okay with it because I didn’t want to think I was capable of betraying my best friend over a guy,” she admitted in a whisper.

Chloe let out a breath. “Well, in all fairness to you…you didn’t exactly betray me. I told you it was okay. Over and over again.”

“Don’t let me off the hook so easily, Chloe. I’m not stupid. I knew you loved Clark.”

“But I still gave you the okay to go ahead with it. So I can’t really blame you for that.”

The girls looked at each other for a long moment, both smiling sadly.

“What I know is…I don’t wanna lose you as a friend,” Lana whispered. “Even if I don’t deserve to have you as one.”

“That works both ways, Lana. And I don’t wanna lose you either.” She paused. “But I’m not sure things can be the same as they were before.”

Lana swallowed hard, nodding slightly in agreement. “Maybe we should just…make sure we’re always honest with each other about everything.”

“I think that’s a really good start.” Chloe squeezed her hand, smiling faintly. “We can sort everything else out later.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, nodding again. “I should go so you can rest.” She stood up, giving Chloe’s hand one last squeeze before letting go.

“Bye, Lana,” she said softly.

Lana made it to the door before pausing to turn back around. “Chloe, I’m really sorry I didn’t trust you. After everything…I should have given you the benefit of the doubt.”

“Yeah, well…if I was in your position, I probably would’ve done the same thing.”

“That’s the thing,” Lana said quietly, looking at her. “I don’t think you would have.”

Chloe didn’t have time to respond before her friend left the room. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes. One down, one to go, she thought. She wasn’t convinced things with Clark would go nearly that easy.


	13. Chapter 13

“So she’s okay?” he asked again.

Lois sighed, looking at him and letting her arms fall to her sides. “Yes, she’s fine. But she said the two of you had a fight.” She raised her eyebrows, wanting to hear his side of the story.

“She told you that?” He cringed a little.

“She told me you offered to be the father of her baby. What were you thinking?”

Clark rubbed the back of his neck and moved past her, looking down the hallway without responding.

“Don’t you think you’ve broken her heart enough? Why would you do this knowing how she feels about you?” Lois pressed.

“Lois, I don’t really wanna talk to you about this.”

“Like that’s ever stopped me,” she retorted, moving so she was standing in front of me.

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.” She put her hands on her hips. “I told you once if you ever hurt her again I’d kick your ass and I damn well meant it, Smallville. So what’s going on with you?”

Clark looked at her, pained, but remained silent.

It took her a moment to recognize his silence as the admission it was. Her eyes widened a little. “You’re in love with her.”

Clark sighed and looked at the floor. Without warning, she smacked him hard in the arm and he glanced up at her, startled. “What was that for?”

“Have you told her that?” she demanded.

“I tried to!” he said defensively.

“Really? What did you say?”

“I told her I wanted to help her raise the baby and that I wanted us to be a family!”

“Gee, that’s romantic,” Lois said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “It didn’t even occur to you to try ‘Hey, Chloe, I’ve been an ignorant jackass but I’ve come to realize I’ve fallen in love with you’? Preferably with a dozen red roses accompanying the words.”

Clark made a face. “Talking to you is always so helpful.”

“Believe it or not, I am trying to help.”

He sighed heavily. “All right, so what do I do?”

“Well, right now she’s completely convinced that you’re just trying to play the knight-in-shining-armor in this bun-in-oven fairytale. So you need to convince her otherwise,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Why do I think that’s gonna be a lot harder than it sounds?”

“Um, because you’ve broken her heart half a dozen times by changing your mind and throwing out the ‘just friends’ card? That could be it.” Lois smirked.

He gave her a withering look, then looked down at the floor. “So…red roses?”

Lois waved a hand. “Make ‘em lilies. Red roses are my favorite,” she informed him.

Rolling his eyes, he headed for the elevator, hoping that the hospital gift shop had lilies.

* * *

Chloe lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. According to the doctor, she had several months of doing just that ahead of her. Wondering how on earth she was going to combat the boredom, she didn’t even hear the approaching footsteps.

“Hey.” Clark’s voice was soft.

She turned her head to look at him, smiling. “Hey.” She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of nervousness.

“I brought you…” He held up a bouquet of white lilies.

Her eyes softened. “Oh…thank you,” she said softly. “They’re beautiful.” She wondered only briefly how he’d known lilies were her favorite, as it dawned on her quickly that Lois must have tipped him off. Still, it was a sweet gesture.

He smiled a little and set them in a vase by her bed. “How ya feeling?”

“Tired mostly. A little freaked out,” she admitted.

Nodding, he gazed at her intently. “But you’re okay?”

“Yeah. The doctor says I’m gonna be fine, but…looks like I’m stuck here for a couple days. And then I have to take it easy for awhile.” She sighed softly, looking down at the blanket covering her legs.

“Yeah, that’s what he told us too.”

She bit her lip, glancing at him for a second. “You got here awfully fast…did anyone suspect anything?” she asked worriedly.

“No.” Clark touched her arm. “I just told them I was already in Metropolis when Lana called me. No one thought anything of it. So don’t worry.” How could he have ever thought Chloe would betray him? She was always so careful, so meticulous about covering for him, even when sometimes he wasn’t so careful.

Letting out a relieved breath, she nodded a little. “Clark, about earlier--”

“It’s okay, Chloe,” he said quietly. “I haven’t given you any reason to trust me with your heart.”

Chloe closed her eyes. “Clark--”

“But don’t think I’m giving up.” His voice was still quiet, but full of resolve and she opened her eyes to look at him. “I am in love with you, Chloe, and I’m gonna wait however long it takes and do whatever I have to, to make you believe it.” He kissed her hand softly, then met her surprised eyes with a small smile. “But right now you need some rest.” Clark hesitated, then leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Sweet dreams.”

Chloe watched in dazed, speechless silence as he slowly left her room. His words echoed in her head. I am in love with you, Chloe.

Sweet dreams.

Yeah, like she was going to be able to sleep now.


	14. Chapter 14

A few weeks later

“Ha! I win. Again.” Chloe grinned victoriously and watched as her opponents all started counting up their leftover UNO cards.

“I think this game is rigged,” Lois said, looking at her suspiciously.

She smiled sweetly. “I’m no cheater.”

“Yeah, except at monopoly,” Clark said with a smirk.

“I wasn’t cheating. I’m just very lucky,” she informed him, smirking right back.

“Good thing we’re not playing for money. I think we’d all be broke by now,” Lana said with raised eyebrows. “A hundred and fifteen.” She handed the cards over as Chloe jotted down the number on the pad of paper by her leg.

“Two hundred ten,” Lois said, scowling. “I’m out.”

“Sore loser,” Chloe teased her and Lois smiled, shaking her head. “Clark, how much did I rob you of?”

Grinning, he held up his one card. It was a zero. “Not a thing.”

She sighed and added up her score. “Hey look at that. I won the game.”

“Gee, there’s a surprise,” he said lightly. “You only won four hands in a row.”

“I can’t help it that I’ve had nothing to do but practice my card game for six weeks.” She shrugged.

Lana smiled and glanced at the clock. Sighing softly, she looked at Chloe apologetically. “I should be heading back to Metropolis. I have a bio exam first thing in the morning and I haven’t even started studying.”

Chloe made a face. “Biology test. Yuck. I think I prefer being stuck in bed.”

She chuckled. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she promised, hugging her friend.

“Have a safe trip back, Lana,” she said, hugging Lana in return.

She nodded, stood up and headed for the door.

“I need to be going to,” Lois said regretfully. “I’m closing the Talon tonight and I need a shower before my shift.”  
“Couldn’t agree more,” Clark said with a smirk and she shot him a look.

Chloe giggled, perpetually amused with their banter. She hugged Lois. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”

Clark glowered at her and it was Lois’s turn to smirk.

“Later, Lois.”

She smiled at Chloe, and smacked Clark lightly in the head on her way out of the room, causing him to glare at her.

“Are you sure I have to be nice to her?” he asked Chloe, his voice lowered.

“I heard that!” Lois shouted as she retreated down the stairs of the Kent house.

Clark rolled his eyes and Chloe laughed again. “I can’t believe you’re related to her.”

She grinned. “So what do you say? Scrabble?”

“Actually…” He picked up the cards and set them on the bedside table. “You need to get some rest.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and groaned. “Clark, I’m pregnant, I’m not an invalid.”

“The doctor said you still need to rest,” he said gently and she sighed, not only because she didn’t feel like resting, but because she knew he was right.

She shifted so that she was lying down on her side. “You think after the baby’s born my life will ever get back to semi-normal?” Her voice was very soft.

Clark gazed at her a moment, then slipped off his boots and laid down beside her, hesitating only a second before sliding an arm around her waist.

She tensed involuntarily, but then relaxed, closing her eyes, and settling back in his arms.

True to his word, in the past six weeks, Clark had gone above and beyond the call of duty as far as she was concerned. He’d made sure she followed the doctor’s orders to a tee--she had literally only gotten out of bed to go to the bathroom and to shower. He’d brought her all her food in bed, complete with at least one fresh lily per meal, and he wouldn’t tell her where he’d gone to get them. He’d held her hair back every time she got sick, and when she had the periodic bouts of insomnia, he stayed awake with her and watched movies or just talked.

The food cravings had started only a week ago and already he’d gone out to fetch her actual Mexican food, fresh Florida oranges, and fresh warm pretzels they only sold at sporting events, among other things. He never complained, and in fact, he never even hesitated to go out and get her whatever her stomach was desiring at the moment. There were definitely some major upsides to being pregnant and being best friends with a guy with superhero powers.

Not that he was the only one being attentive. Martha Kent had also gone out of her way to make sure Chloe was taken care of completely. Since her father was still out of town (and according to his schedule would be for another month or so), she’d taken Chloe to all the doctor appointments she’d had thus far, and helped calm many of the young mother-to-be’s fears. Lois and Lana, too, were constantly calling and stopping by to check in on her.

Since her talk with Lana in the hospital, the two of them had actually become closer than they were to start with. There was now a level of honesty and understanding between them that hadn’t been there before. Things were going well between Lana and Lex and if Lana felt any jealousy over the time and energy Clark was spending with Chloe, she certainly didn’t show it.

Unbeknownst to Chloe, though, Clark, with a little prodding from Chloe’s over-protective, annoying older cousin, had talked with Lana and told her that while he would always care about her, he was falling in love with Chloe and wanted to be with her. She’d taken in surprisingly well. Of course, after the near-miss with Chloe and the baby, Lana had felt so guilty she couldn’t bring herself to hold anything against Clark or Chloe. Besides, she was happy with Lex and she wanted her friends to have that same happiness.

“I don’t think things will ever be the way they were,” Clark said carefully, his voice soft as he held her, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“I know. It’s kinda scary,” she murmured.

“Change doesn’t have to be bad, Chlo,” he murmured back.

Drawing in a breath, she nodded slightly. “But it usually is.”

“Not if you stop being afraid.”

She knew they were no longer talking about just her life, but about the thing he kept bringing up no matter how much she tried to tell him to leave it alone. “Clark…”

“I know. You don’t wanna talk about it.”

Chloe bit her lower lip. It wasn’t like she could avoid the subject forever. As much as she didn’t want to admit it to herself, he was wearing her down. Some tiny part of her was growing more and more convinced that he meant what he said--that he loved her and wanted to be with her. And that scared the hell out of her. “No, but…I guess we can’t keep putting it off, can we?”

Clark kissed her temple gently. “I know you’re scared, Chloe, and I don’t blame you. I’m scared too,” he admitted.

She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Clark Kent gets scared?” she teased.

He rolled his eyes. “Everyone gets scared. But I don’t wanna let that fear run my life anymore. I wanna be with you, Chloe. I love you,” he whispered.

She swallowed hard, keeping her eyes shut as the words she’d been playing in her head day after day were repeated aloud once more. “What happens if…it doesn’t work out?”

“Why wouldn’t it work out?” he asked gently.

“It didn’t with Lana,” she pointed out.

“Lana and I weren’t meant to be. I could never tell her about who I really am. And besides that, she’s in love with Lex.”

“So you wanna be with me because I know your secret and Lana’s in love with someone else?” She hated herself for testing him, for pushing him, but she had to say it.

“No, Chloe,” Clark said without a bit of annoyance. He knew exactly what she was doing and he was prepared for it. “I wanna be with you because I’m in love with you. It’s always been you. I was just too stupid to realize it.” His voice was soft.

Chloe slowly turned over in his arms so she was facing him. Her eyes were hopeful but still filled with doubt. “What if you realize later that you were wrong again?”

He gazed at her. It wasn’t like he could blame her for being apprehensive about getting into a more than friendly relationship with him. “What if I don’t?” He paused. “Chloe, do you love me?” He held his breath, afraid she might say no.

She swallowed hard, gazing back at him. She was silent for a moment. “You know I do.” She dropped her gaze to his shirt and he touched her cheek gently. “Ever since the first day I met you and you were wearing flannel and told me you lived on a farm.”

A smile touched his lips. He remembered that day well. It was one of his favorite memories. “That was a good day. That was the first time you kissed me.”

She smiled faintly, remembering. “You’ve always been the nicest guy I’ve ever known.” She smirked. “Except when you were on Red-K.”

Clark chuckled a little.  
She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “So what happens now?” she asked softly, uncertain.

He kissed her forehead. “We just take things slowly,” he said just as softly.

“Slowly.” Chloe nodded a little. “How slowly?”

A grin tugged at his lips and he leaned closer, kissing her gently, slowly. “How’s that?” he murmured against her mouth.

“Mmm,” she murmured back. “Seems about the right speed to me.”


	15. Chapter 15

Six Months Later

“Congratulations, Chloe! It’s a boy,” Dr. Jones said, smiling as he held up her son for her to see.

Tears leaking from her eyes, she rested her head back against the pillow, a wide smile on her face as she squeezed Clark’s hand tightly. “We have a little boy,” she whispered.

His own eyes were watering through his smile as he gazed at the tiny infant.

Dr. Jones handed him over to Chloe, resting the child on her chest. She cradled him without hesitation. “Hi, there,” she whispered. “I’m your mommy.”

Clark leaned over and kissed her forehead.

She shifted slightly so he could see the baby better. “And this is your daddy,” she told him softly.

“He’s beautiful, Chlo,” Clark whispered.

She smiled up at him tearfully. “You wanna hold him?”

Swallowing hard, he hesitated only a second before nodding.

Chloe carefully shifted the newborn into Clark’s waiting arms, knowing that out of everyone in her life, Clark would protect her son better than anyone else possibly could. She watched him cradle the tiny child, pressing a soft kiss to the baby’s forehead and whispering words she didn’t quite hear. The sight of him holding her baby--no--their baby, was incredible and breathtaking.

* * *

“Oh, he’s so beautiful,” Martha Kent whispered as she lingered in the doorway a little while later.

“Come in,” Chloe urged. “Tell Lois and Lana to come in, too?”

“Of course,” Martha agreed, turning to look over her shoulder. “Girls, come on in.” She stepped into the room and moved over to where Clark was sitting, the baby cradled and asleep in his arms. He smiled up at his mother, and then at Lois and Lana.

Lois sat down beside Chloe on the bed, smiling at her cousin. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” she whispered tiredly, smiling back.

“Oh, Chloe,” Lana murmured. “He’s perfect.” She very gently touched the infant’s head, then leaned over and kissed him.

“Yeah, he is,” she agreed, still smiling.

“Do you have any names picked out?” Martha asked, looking from Clark and the baby to Chloe.

Chloe smiled and glanced at Lois before nodding. “Yeah, actually. I’ve decided to name him Jonathan.”

The room fell silent and even Clark looked at her, surprised.

“That’s…” Martha’s eyes watered.

Lois smiled and ducked her head. She’d been in on Chloe’s secret all along, and had thought it was a wonderful idea, a tribute to a man whom had been like a second father to both Chloe and Lois, and even at times, Lana.

“Thank you,” Martha whispered, smiling and leaning down to hug Chloe.

“No, thank you,” she said softly, hugging her back. “If it weren’t for you…well, all of you, really…I’m not sure how I would have gotten through this.”

“Well, what’s family for?” Lois asked brightly.

Lana smiled, entranced with the newborn. “Can I hold him?”

Clark glanced at Chloe quickly and nodded. “Of course.” He swallowed hard, rising to his feet. “Jonathan--” His voice wavered a little. “This is your aunt Lana.”

She carefully held him, unable to help from smiling ear to ear. He was a beautiful child, with fine, thin blond hair and beautiful green eyes just like Chloe’s. He looked up at her for a few seconds, but then started to cry. “Ohh, shhh,” she soothed, rocking him very gently in her arms. But to no avail. “I think he wants his daddy back.” She chuckled good-naturedly and handed him back over to Clark.

He stopped crying immediately and Chloe couldn’t help but beam. It seemed that her son was every bit as in love with Clark as she was. How appropriate.

“Guys, I need a few minutes with Chloe. Mom, would you take him?” he asked, glancing at her.

“Of course,” Martha whispered, taking the infant from him and heading back to the nursery with Lana in tow.

Lois leaned over and kissed Chloe’s cheek. “I’ll be back.”

“Thanks for the warning,” Clark said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Watch it, Smallville.”

Chloe shook her head in amusement as her cousin left the room. She turned her attention to Clark, still smiling faintly. “Big day.”

And about to get bigger, he thought. “I didn’t know that you were…the name…that means a lot,” he whispered, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

She reached out and touched his arm. “He meant a lot to me too.”

“I know.” His eyes were full of unshed tears. Happy ones, she hoped. He took her hand in his and kissed it gently. “There’s something I need to do. And I’m not really sure how you’re gonna take it.”

Her eyebrows furrowed a little. “Should I be worried?”

“No, no, it’s just…” He bit his lip. “I hadn’t planned on…well, today, I mean…” He was stumbling over his words in a way he didn’t usually when he was around Chloe. “Um.” He pulled something out of his pocket.

“Clark, what--” Her eyes widened at the sight of the small diamond ring in his hand.

“Marry me,” Clark whispered.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, tears flooding her eyes. “Clark…”

“I love you, and I love our son. And that’s never gonna change. I want the whole world to know it. Marry me.” His eyes were pleading.

She hadn’t thought she could possibly be happier than she already had been, but she was wrong. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Grinning, he slid the ring on her finger and hugged her, pressing a kiss to her lips. She held onto him tightly, closing her eyes.

It was the time after all.


End file.
